Photos

Photo

Captain Trae Everett and crew won first place with a 45-pound kingfish.

The Sullivan’s Island Saltwater Classic, held two Saturdays ago, ended with a first place kingfish catch weighing 45 pounds. Team Reelist, captained by Trae Everett, reeled in the winning fish.

Anthony Stith Jr., son of Sullivan’s Island Fire and Rescue Department Chief, and his crew came in second with a 41-pound kingfish. The event benefitted the fire department and was a Southern Kingfish Association sanctioned tournament. A total of 52 boats participated in the one-day event.

MaxPreps

The Southeast is a hotbed for high school athletics talent, but you already knew that.

According to MaxPreps, Bishop England is No. 5 in the country for best overall sports program in the 2012-13 poll for the MaxPreps Cup. The Battling Bishops, a 2A private school competing in the South Carolina High School League, has won more than 100 state championships in school history.

“It is a great honor,” athletic director Paul Runey said. “It shows how dedication and hard work pays off. We are fortunate that over 60 percent of our student body is involved in sports. And, what is even more impressive is that most of our athletes are top-notch academic students. It supports how athletics and academics go hand in hand.”

Bishop England was one of two South Carolina representatives, with Lexington coming in at No. 19. MaxPreps ranked the top 25 in the nation. The schools that beat out the Bishops were: 1. Westminster (Atlanta), 2. Punahou (Honolulu), 3. St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) and 4. Century (Bismarck).

“MaxPreps Cup rankings are compiled by giving schools points for finishing first or second at the state level. For states that don’t have state competition, point totals were adjusted to award first and second-place teams at the section level,” the article noted.

“Points were also awarded for size of playoff division (championships won at the large school level were worth more than championships at the small-school level), size of state (championships for Texas, for example, were worth more than championships for less populous states like Alaska) and type of sport (football championships were worth more than tennis championships).”

National rankings were also taken into consideration.

Tennis

Matthew Mendez, of Mount Pleasant, lost in the second round of the USTA boys 18U National tennis championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. this past week.

After receiving a bye in the first round of the main draw, Mendez lost 6-3, 6-3 to Harrison O’Keefe, of Salem, Va. O’Keefe has committed to play collegiately at South Carolina.

Mendez fared better in doubles, though, with partner Trey Yates, of Atlanta. The pair advanced to the fourth round before falling 6-4, 7-6(2).

Football

Coastal Christian

The Coastal Christian Prep will rely on athleticism at all positions this season, in hopes of having a breakthrough season, coach J.W. Myers said.

“We have been to the first round of the playoffs the past two years, and we hope to make it further this year,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to win a state championship.”

Coastal Christian lost six players from last season’s 7-4 team due to graduation and transfers. “All of the players will be hard to replace, but we have a few newcomers that we are hoping can step up and fill those vacant spots,” Myers said.

He cited age as a weakness, noting that the Cougars are “much younger this year than we have been in the past.” But, he praised the overall athleticism of the group.

The most challenging games for Coastal Christian lie in region play, including Cathedral Academy, Faith Christian, Charleston Collegiate and James Island Christian.

Recruiting

Nolan Kelleher, a prized offensive lineman recruit out of Wando, decided on the University of Florida as his collegiate destination. The senior entertained nearly 30 scholarship offers and becomes the 12th Class of 2014 commit for the Gators, according to GatorCountry.com.

“We loved our visit to Florida,” Kelleher’s mother said in the website’s report. “Nolan was very impressed with the academics and the coaching staff at Florida. He really liked sitting down with their offensive line coach and talking about plays with him.”

Baseball

Wando baseball standout Oliver Hill received his first scholarship offer this past Friday night from Winthrop. The junior second baseman tweeted the news of the offer and confirmed to the Moultrie News over the weekend that is from the Eagles.

Chad Smith, a redshirt junior, is Winthrop’s returning starting second baseman. Smith was third on the team in batting average (.290) and second in RBI (20).

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